Safety and signaling device for pneumatic tires



A. C. SLOAN.

SAFETY AND SIGNALING DEVICE FOR PNEUMATIC TIRES. l

FILED MAR. 2, 1920.

Patented Jan. 16, 1923.`

UNITEDISTATES PA,TEifSrry lorificia.A

v Amann o. stoAN, orrHILann/nriiia, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY iiNii'siefifIALINerv nnvioii non PNEUivrAfr-Ic TIRES."

- i *Alipucatim iiiea Marcha,

'an improved signal Vtobe used in conjunc-` tion with pneumatic tires for automobiles,

bicycles, or other types of vehicles, for the purpose of giving an audiblewarning of the deflation of a tire equipped with the device, before theairnecessary to prevent a wheels flange `from cutting the tire has'decreased below a given predetermined pressure.l

A further object is to provide such a de- .vice with details of construction adapted to permit. the escape of `air automatically' from a tire, when the pressure therein reaches a point at a predetermined number of pounds above that at which the said tire is normally designed tooperate. 4

And a still further object is to provide a device of this character .comprising a casing, means cooperating with and operative to maintain the'valve of a pneumatic tire in open position, y iesiliently' positioned meanswithin said casingto knormally Vprevent the'escape of air from the saidfvalve, but adapted to permit air to escape through an orifice provided for the purpose in the said casing when-the air within the tire reaches an abnormal pressure, an alarm lwhich preferably comprises ablank car-v tridge, a firing member, and means operative to release (the said firing means by en.-

one direction of said resiliently positioned read in conjunction with the accompanying.'

drawings, in which l is aflongitudinal diametrical ysection through the preferred embodiment of the device showing the worl ingr elements in normal positions when as-V sociated with the usual valve of 'a tire; Fig.

2 is a similar view showing thejposition ofv the elements when permitting air to escape therefrom; Fig, 3 is a similar'view showing vsimilar to Fig.

agement with and upon themovement in iezoj.- seria'i No.` 362,729.

the elements after their return to their ,nor l mal positions practically asv in Fig. l.; Fig. Ll isy asimilar view of the'improved device per se; Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line 5 5 of Fig. l1; andy Fig; 6 is view. 5, buttalrenon the linel 6-+6 0f. Fig; l. i

`Referring tothe drawings, thereis shown a portion l of the usualpneumatictire, "to which is jsecured ythe usual-valve casing 2, provided with a central axially extending orifice 3 enlarged at its outer Yend, portion 4 L to provide a recess for any suitable type of l' spring 5f, which is operative'to normally position the valve 6 against a seat 7, having .a central rapertureA through which extends the usual valve'stem 8, the 4said valve casing being'provided in the usual manner Vwith external threads preferably throughout its entire length, and at its free end reduced and externally threaded at 9, said reduced -rnd portion being generally provided with a lremovable cap (not shown)l The present invention is adapted kto be screwed into firm operative position surf rounding the outerjportion of thevalve casingQ, and comprises an internally threaded cylindrical member 10; to the outer-end of which is secured an extension ll in the forni` cfa hollow cylindrical member, which'A` inv .turn is internally threaded for any desired distance inwardly from its oiitermostffree end; end portion of the member' l0 is apartitioii 'l2 provided with one or more aperturesl,

Screwed in position within the inner,

and 'tothe outer face of which member there is adapted to be secured one or a plurality of contraction springs 14 which wattheir respective outerxfree ends-[are secured to a slidable partition' '15, which upon-.its outer Uf'a'ceis provided centrally with a stein le having spaced annular flanges` 1 7.

Within the inner end portion of the nieinf, ber lOKther-elis alsovscrewed a partition 16 provided wit-lia central aperture 19.. adapt-v ed to'surround the reduced end. portion 9 of lthe valvefcasiiig, while further surround-g ing said reduced end .portion and confined longitudinally between the partition 19 in one direction and the large portion yof the valve casing 2 in1 the other, there -is posii-Y tioned suitable air-tight packingQO, to pi'c- I vent the escapeofair thereby and towards i the inner end vof lthe casing ,section 101i]- Screwed into a normally fixed position Within the free end portion of the member l 11 isfa partition21, provided fivith an aperture,` through which extends preferably in a diagonal direction a iring-pin 22, surrounded by a coil-spring 23, and. provided upon its outer end with ahead 24:, adapted when said pin is releasedi topi'ojectthronghafcentrally disposed aperture Within a gasket or Washer 25 and explode a preferably,blanlrecartridge 26, iixedly retained in position by said gasket Within a centrally disposedaperture 27 in a cap 28Which is adapted to be 'screwed in fixed position upon'the outermost portion of the cylindrical member 11.

Preferably pivotally secured at 29 to one1 the extent to Which'tlie'partition 15 isiforced outwardly against the tension oit the spring or'springs 14 by the air pressure Within tire vequippedivith the device, the distance in the positions ot any tvvo adjacent flanges being by prearrangement lrepresentative ot any given number'of pounds pressure.

In the operation of this device, the same is screvved into firm position upon the usual valve casing 2, after `a tire has been inflated to the desired pressure for which. saidftire is designed, in which position the partition 12 presses inwardly upon Vthe stem 8, thus bringing the .air pressure Within thev tire to bear upon the inner surface of the partition 15, from which the air cannot leakbecause of the annular packing 32, thus forcing the last-namedipartition into such a position as that shown in Fig. 1. If,hovvever, more air has been forced into the tirethan the improved device is said to accommodate, or if the pressure Within the tire increases substantially as the result oi" a long periodof running during hot Weather, the partition 15 l moves outwardly until the dangers created by the excess pressure is relieved by some of the air escaping outwardly through the aperture 33, asfor instance in-the position oi the partition shown in Fig. 2, after-Which said partition returns approximately to the position shown inFiguS. i

@n the other hand, if thereis encountered a leak or puncture and the air pressure Within the tire 'passes to apoint considerably below the normal operating pressure, the

` same permits the springs 14 to Withdraw the slidable partition 15 into such innermostv position as to permit :one of the flanges 17 to trip the trigger 30, and uponl releasing the latter permitting'tlie spring -23fto operate the tiring-pin and head carried thereby to explodey the signal cartridge 226. -Havingiresignature.

inaaisa ceived thiswwarninggallthatis necessary is tof'remove the cap 28 and-:insert aanevv cartridge, and by removing the device as a unit from the valve casing2 to restore the air pressure Within the tire to that at Which itis designed to normallylioperate.

Having thus described my invention,

avhatif claim-andydesire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:-v

1. An automatica-signal device for lpneumatic'l tires, 'comprisingia shelliadapted to vbe secured tothe lvalve casing, means' to open the Irvalve, a; resiliently positioned. partition directly aiiected; by: airs pressure fromcwithin said cartridge.

:2. The @combination ofna pneumatic `tire valve fwithaal removable Y shell, means i Within v said ,shell to maintain said fvalve opene'dVza 'slidable 'partition movable Vin accordance With changes in the airA pressure Within the tire, a spring actuatedfr-ingfpin, -a shoulder carried-by said partition, tandmeans adapted to be vreleasedwby said shoulder Vto permit said :pin .to explode al cartridge carried'by said shell.

3. Thel combination of .a pneumaticitire valve Witheafreniovable shell, :a'perforated fixed partition Withinfsaidshell voperative ltomaintain said valvein open position, a

movable partition, resilient .means .to lposi- Ation saidflatter partition with said first parftition, and. an,V aperturef inJ said shell to permit the escape of :airfvvhenexcessive pres l-sure'passingthrough said valve ffromsaid tire lLforcesf the movableipartition past said aperture.

f4. They combina-tion of vafpneumatic tire Vvalve Withfa removable shell, a perforatedxed partitionV Withinfsaid shell operative to vmaintain said valve in open position, a lmov+ -able partition, resilient means to position said latter partition Withl' said first partition,

an-.aperture inf said shell vtopermit the Vescape of yair when fexcessive .pressure passing through said valve from said tire forcesethe 1 movable partition Vpast said aperture, a

spring-,pressed firingpin, ashoulder carried byzsaidimovab-le partition, andmeans 4operae tive to be. released Aby fsaidfshoulder to.. permit said i .pin to ;explode v.a fcartridge carried by said shell..

In testimony whereof l have :affixed my ,ALFRED C. SLOAN.l vvIn the i presence., lof- JULIAN. L Grrronn,

,PBIEODoRn IResin/rinvia. 

